Switch for electric circuits



(No Model.)

S. BERGMANN.

SWITCH FOR ELEGTRIG CIRCUITS.

No. 400,733. Patented Apr. 2, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIGMUND BERGMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO BERGMANN & COMPANY, OFNEW YORK.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,733, dated April 2,1889.

Application filed la 18, 1888. Serial No. 274,262. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIGMUND BERGMANN, of New York, in the county andState of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inSwitches forElectric Gircuits, of which the followingisa specification.

I will describe a switch embodying my imv provement, and then point outthe novel features in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan or top View of a switchembodying my improvement, the handle, and also a cover which ispreferably used, being removed. Fig. 2 is a side view of this switchwith the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of theswitch, taken at the plane of the dotted line 00 00, Fig. 1, the coverbeing in place. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of a wheel forming partof the switch. Fig. 5 is a top view of the switch-wheel and of theappurtenances which impinge upon the same.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A designates a base-piece, here shown as of circular form.) It ispreferably made of porcelain, glass, or analogous incombustiblematerial. It is shown as provided near the top with a circumferentialrabbet, a, adapted to receive a cover, B. This cover may be made ofsheet metal. As here shown, it is provided at a certain portion with alining of insulating material b.

The base-piec'is shown as provided in the under side with a central caxity, a, which may be of circular form.

C designates an upr ght cylindric shell. Its

lower end fits in a centrahhole in the basepiece A. Near the lower endit is provided witha flange which rests upon the top of the base-pieceA. At the lower extremity this shell is externally screw-threaded, andhas applied to it below the central portion of the base-piece a nut, O.This nut, together with the flange, secures the shell in anuprightposition firmly to the base-piece. This shell may be made of metal. Itis not intended to turn or rotate.

D designates a switchwheel. It is made of porcelain, glass, or likeincombustible fictile material. Through its center extends a hole ofsuitable size to fit the exterior of the shell 0. This wheel rests uponthe flange of the shell 0, and is free to turn about the shell.

The exterior or periphery of the wheel D is composed of a number ofspiral segment-surfaces, c c c c, and intermediate radial portions. Ihave shown four of said spiral segment-surfaces. They are approximatelyof the same shape as ordinary ratchet-teeth. The segment-surfaces c 0which are opposite each other and intermediate of the segment-surfaces0' 0 are faced with strips of metal, 61 d, which may advantageously becopper. These strips of metal are secured in place, as here shown, bybeing bent at one end, so as to form tongues e, which extend into slotsformed radially in the wheel D.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 3 that the tongues e are flaredtoward their extremities. Babbitt metal is poured into the slots inthewheel around the tongues 6 while in a liquid state, and on settingsecures the tongues firmly in the slots. The strips of metal d d arecoextensive with the segment-surfaces c c.

E designates a shaft fitted into the upright shell 0 and capable ofrotating therein. Itextends below the shell 0, and has nuts E E appliedto it below the shell to secure it in place within the shell. Above theshell it is provided with a shoulder that extends over the upper end ofthe shell. The upper end of this shaft is provided with anexternallyscrew-threaded boss, to which. a hand-piece, F, is secured bymeans of a screw-threaded cavity. This hand-piece serves as a means forturning the shaft.

G designates a pin extending radially from the shaft E above theswitch-wheel D. This pin is shown as secured to the shaft by beingscrewed into the latter. It also serves the purpose of securing to theshaft one end of a spring, H, which is coiled loosely around the shaftand has its free end extended toward the direction of the periphery ofthe switchwheel. The switch-wheel has upon its upper surface twoprojections, d (P. The pin G extends between these projections. So doesthe free end of the spring H. The opposite faces of the projections d clare at a considerable distance apart. Normally the pin G bears Lilagainst the ')ro,jection (Z and the free end of the spring II bearsagainst the projection d.

It will be remembered that the switch-wheel is free to turn looselyaround the upright shell 0. It derives its motion from the shaft E; butthis shaft is capable of transmitting motion to the switch-wheel onlythrough the agency of the pin G and the spring ll.

1 I I I designate brushes, consisting of strips of metal secured toplates or posts J J J J", secured to the base-piece A by screws orotherwise, and adapted to h are circuit-wires secured in electricalcommunication with them. These brushes at their free endsbear upon theperiphery of the switch-wheel. They may hear at the same time upon thesegm entsurfaces 0 c, which are not faced with metal, or upon theintermediate seginent-surfaces, c

c, which are faced with the metal strips (Z d.

The plate or postis not in electrical communication with the plate orpost J lhe brush I is therefore electricallyunconnected with the brush 1The plates or posts .I J and brushes I I are likewise unconnected.Therefore when the two pairs of brushes bear upon the metal strips (6electrical communication is established between the brushes I 1 and alsobetween the brushes 1 I. lVhen the two pairs of brushes touch thesegment-surfaces c c" of the switch-wheel, there will be no electricalcommunication between the brushes I .I or between the brushes 1 I".

\Vhen the hand-piece F is turned so as to rotate the switclnwheel, thespring it will. yield until the pin G comes in contact with it, as shownin full lines in Fig. 5. The further turning of the hand piece willimpart a corresponding rotary movement to the switchwheel. hen theopposite segment-surfaces are about to pass beyond the -tips of thebrushes, the spring I-I expands and throws the switch-wheel quite aconsiderable dis tancc, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. Thisaction insures the carrying of the strips (Z (Z entirely beyond thebrushes.

It will be seen that the hand-picce I! can only be operated to rotatethe shaft E in one direction, for when turned in the opposite direetionit will be unscrewed from the shaft. The wheel D cannot, therefore, berotated in such a direction as to injure the brushes I. I.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a switch, the combination of a rotary part or wheel, a shaftaround which the rotary part or wheel turns, a radial projection on theshaft, and a spring connected to the shaft, establishing a connectionbetween the shaft and the rotary part or wheel, substantially asspecified.

In a switch, the combination of a rotary part or wheel, an axle orsupport upon which the rotary part or wheel may turn, a shaft capable ofturning relatively to the axle or support of the rotary part or wheel, aradial projection on the shaft, and a spring secured to the rotaryshaft, establishing a connection between the said rotary shaft and therotary part or wheel, substz'mtially as specified.

213. In a switch, the combination, with a rotary part or wheel providedwith tangential seglneat-surfaces, certain of which are of insulatinmaterial and the others of which are faced. with conducting material, ofa rotary shaft around which the rotary part or wheel turns, a pin radialfrom said shaft, and a sprin fastened to the rotary shaft and extendingoutwardly therefrom between projections ex.-

tending from the rotary part or wheel, substantially as specified.

4-. In a switch, the combination of a rotary part or wheel, a rotaryshaft around which the rotary part or wheel can turn, and provided withupwardly-extending projections, a pin extending radially from this shaftbetween the said projections of the rotary part or wheel, and a spring,also connected with the shaft and extending between the saidprojections, substantially as specified.

5. In a switch, the. combination, with a rotary part or wheel, of arotary shaft around which the rotary part or wheel can turn, and havinga pin extending radially therefrom, a spring connected to said shaft, ahand-piece for im iiarting motion to the shaft and the rotary part, andhaving a screw-threaded connection with said shaft, and brushescontacting with the rotary part or wheel, substantially as specified.

SIGMUNI) IIICRGMANN.

\Vil n esses: v

I. ll. KLEIN, J12, JNo. F. GEIDEL.

